5.18 Think-Pair-Share

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Think-Pair-Share is a short, simple, and well-known CL technique with many variations. Below, the basic Think-Pair-Share technique as well as possible variations are described.

Step 1: The class has a task to complete (e.g., a mathematics/science question or a language item). Students are in groups of two, and each member works alone to Think about a response. This Think step promotes the CL principle of individual accountability, because first students work alone before telling their partner what they thought.

Step 2: The two members of the pair are invited to come together (i.e., Pair) and discuss their responses. Maybe they agree, maybe they do not, or maybe they both change their ideas during their discussion. They could also ask another student, their teachers, or consult a resource (e.g., the internet).

Step 3: A few students are randomly selected. These students are invited to Share with teachers and the rest of the class. The key is that they Share their partner’s response or group’s discussion rather than only sharing their individual response. This form of Share encourages students to listen carefully to their partner and to speak carefully so that their partner can understand their ideas.

Variations

Think-Pair-Share has three parts: Think, Pair, and Share. Other parts can be added or can replace the three usual parts. Also, the order of the parts can be rearranged. Here are some other possible additions and new combinations.

  • Write: Teachers and groupmates cannot see what students Think, but teachers and groupmates can see what students Write. Thus, sometimes we can invite students to replace Think with Write and do Write-Pair-Share. Write gives students a chance to put their thoughts into words, thereby preparing them for the Pair step. Additionally, Write can be added later in the technique to encourage students to think more deeply about what they have learned in the activity, resulting perhaps in Write-Pair-Share-Write.
  • Square: Instead of Share, which means the pair shares their ideas with teachers and the rest of the class, students can be invited to Square. That means two pairs come together to form groups—resembling a four-sided square. Then, each pair performs Share with the other pair. New discussions can also take place, beyond just using Square to recount the previous discussions that were had in pairs.
  • Switch: Another alternative to Share could be to Switch partners with another pair. For example, Students A and B are in one pair, and C and D are in the other pair. For Switch, A and C exchange partners to form a new pair, and B and D do the same. As a reminder, we want to highlight that the students tell their new partner, not what they individually thought, but what their original partner said and about their discussion with them.
  • Draw: In keeping with ideas from the theory of Multiple Intelligences, words are not the only way for students to think and communicate. Creating visuals, such as drawings or mind maps, provides alternatives for self-expression. In pairs or foursomes, students can also present skits to represent their ideas.

 

Reflective Break

What is a variation of Think-Pair-Share that you would like to try? In addition to Think, Pair, Share, Write, Square, Switch, and Draw what other parts can be used, and in what order can students use them?

 

Sample Response

Sometimes, I like to use Square instead of Share, as Square promotes the CL principle of maximum peer interactions (quantity), because while in Share, only one student in the entire class is speaking at a time; in contrast, with Square, in a class of 52, 13 students may be speaking at the same time.


Last modified: Thursday, 6 March 2025, 6:59 AM